Back again for our regular Sunday roundup of quick-fire reviews and impressions of everything under the spotlight at Retro Arcadia this week, old and new and a bit of both…

And as you might have already guessed, it’s all going to be a bit of both because I’ve got two brand new Evercade cartridges stacked with old games for you today! We’ll start with the Bitmap Brothers Collection 2, which includes five games and one expansion, and I’m very pleased to say that unlike the first Bitmap Brothers collection, these are the Amiga versions (where applicable) this time, rather than some crappy console knock-offs! There is one console game on there too though, and its the original PlayStation version of real-time sci-fi strategy classic Z from 1996, which is like a more accessible, more focussed, heavy metal version of Command & Conquer, and is arguably a lot more fun as a result! Bit small on an Evercade EXP or Super Pocket handhelds and would always have felt better with a mouse but what the hell, the new button mapping helps and it’s great wherever and however you play all the same, and I’m also pleased to report you’ve got extensive but to-the-point instructions for this one in the manual too, which you really couldn’t do without. That’s also the case on the home computer front, where we’ll start with Cadaver from 1990, an isometric fantasy action-adventure with a sprinkling of RPG, in the spirit of old Ultimate games on the Spectrum and one that I liked a lot on my Atari ST but will concede is alright on the Amiga too! Huge game, loads of logic-pushing puzzles, gorgeous art style and some really atmospheric sounds make it a main draw on here for me!

That said, its expansion, Cadaver: The Payoff, which I’d never played before, is a bit more than just more of the same, with all-new sights and sounds, nuanced enemy interactions and even more fiendish puzzles to solve and traps to avoid, and has been a really nice discovery. I guess if Cadaver isn’t your personal highlight here then Gods might be! This iconic platformer from 1991 remains an undisputed masterpiece, mixing well-paced action-platforming with thoughtful puzzles and pretty much unsurpassed presentation on the Amiga. On the surface, Magic Pockets, also from 1991, isn’t a million miles away, just a bit more comedic and with a bit more cutesy attitude, but I’m probably in the minority thinking it’s a good-looking but far more average platform game with some annoying music! I’d like to like The Chaos Engine 2 a lot more than I do too – maybe I just need a second player rather than its split-screen, top-down, methodical run and gun contest against the computer; I think it lost a bit of the atmosphere of the first game along the way too but it’s alright… As is this compilation, which is as well presented as always and perfectly at home here, although I am left still pining for Amiga versions of Speedball 2 and Xenon 2 on Evercade instead of those Mega Drive monstrosities we got last time! By the way, before we move on, I’ll quickly mention I grabbed the screenshots you can see here from emulation to avoid you suffering dodgy phone pics of my TV screen!

“Night dawns, and with it the vampire grows stronger!” The second of this week’s new releases on Evercade is the Legacy of Kain Collection, featuring Crystal Dynamics’ Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain from 1996, and its sequel, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver from 1999, both for the original PlayStation and now squeezed onto the new higher capacity Giga Cart format cartridge for the Evercade system of your choice, although there were times when things got a bit too dark for comfort for my old eyes when I was playing the first game handheld in particular, although it still amazes me that I’ve got either running perfectly in my hand at all! They’ve been well adapted for Evercade too, with the controls properly remapped and even listed as such in the reworked in-game options, which reminds me, a full reworking of the original instructions for both is included in the box too. I never had the first game when it came out, so it’s been a treat getting to know Blood Omen, a rich and exuberant top-down (but slightly 3D) action-RPG-lite with you playing the vampire Kain on his quest for vengeance against his murderers (then a bit more) and a cure for his curse. Monster of a game in all respects, with so many weapons and spells and shape-changing abilities all within easy reach, some decent puzzles and a decent narrative too, with its admittedly hammy delivery juxtaposed by some delightfully vintage cutscenes, a wonderfully haunting soundtrack, and just fantastic Hammer Horror audio in general. It’s of its time to look at but there’s attention to detail everywhere you look and atmosphere galore, and while there is also some contemporary jank (all of which I’m sure the upcoming remaster will sort out), I’ve had a great time sinking my teeth (and Kain’s!) into this one. A genuine classic! 

I am more familiar with the second game, Soul Reaver, which I did have on PS1 and was far more to my taste than Blood Omen seemed to have been at the time but I still never got anywhere near beating it… It’s not just more action-heavy this time around either but is proper 3D too, like all proper games were supposed to be, with you playing the ghost of an executed vampire out for another batch of vengeance, this time against Kain, his former master who was responsible for this predicament. Once again, it’s had some excellent remapping treatment, with the correct controls fully integrated into the game itself, and they feel good and not too dated at all. And it’s all luxuriously gothic and very cinematic, in a Metal Gear Solid in and out of the action kind of way, with another strong and very dynamic soundtrack complementing some very cool visuals and special effects. As much as it all holds up though, I’m really hoping to stick with it longer than I did first time around because I had zero patience for some of the stupid, near-impossible puzzles it threw at you back then, where I think I might even relish them now. Maybe! Really enjoying this cart regardless so far though – was a nice surprise when it was announced and I’m glad to see both games holding up so well on here because you can never be sure with PS1 at the best of times, and no amount of subtle scanlines or save states can change that! They top off a good a good package though, and exactly where I’d like to see Evercade keep going in future. 

That’s your lot for this week but sticking with Evercade, in case you missed it last Wednesday, do check out my Top Ten Favourite Discoveries on Evercade countdown, which is an area it really excels in, and one where I had an unusually tough time narrowing down all the possibilities! Then next Wednesday, join me again when we’ll be discovering Victory Run on PC-Engine… A rare decent racer on the system? Definitely more than meets the eye so hopefully see you then! 

As always, I’ll never expect anything for what I do here but if you’d like to buy me a Ko-fi and help towards increasingly expensive hosting and storage costs then it will always be really appreciated! And be sure to follow me on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) or Threads for my latest retro-gaming nonsense!